Top Cities in Southeast Asia to Move to ($1500/mo)

Top Cities in Southeast Asia to Move to ($1500/mo)

if you’re looking to move abroad or become a digital Nomad these are the five best Southeast Asian cities to move to these cities are going to be based on the cost of living the quality of life the infrastructure and modern conveniences Visa options and community and being expat friendly number one is going to be Bangkok Thailand hands down the best city to relocate to now if you’re new here this is where I moved to I left New York City and moved all the way to Bangkok Thailand and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made literally everything in my life has improved my finances my health my happiness my peace my relationships literally everything let’s talk about the cost of living first off Thailand is actually not that cheap especially in comparison to these other cities in Southeast Asia Thailand is actually considerably quite expensive but in my opinion Bangkok in particular ranks the highest in terms of Premium affordability so it’s not going to be dirt cheap but it’s going to be very accessible comfortable affordability for around $1,500 to $2,500 a month you can rent a high rise condo eat out every single day have a gym membership go out on weekends and still have a bit of money left over you can also live comfortably for Less living in a $300 to $500 Studio eating mainly local street food and living a very modest simple lifestyle so like a lot of these cities the budget it really depends on you it really depends on your lifestyle and it can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be but the cost of living of Thailand is not the only selling point it’s that it’s affordable while still being very modern efficient and highly developed you can get high-speed 500 megab per second Wi-Fi at around $19 a month you’ve got worldclass public transport you’re surrounded by 24/7 convenience and you we’ve also got top tier Healthcare with worldclass doctors and hospitals another thing is that Bangkok is also a huge cultural Melting Pot that literally celebrates and welcomes people from all over the world you’ve got a huge diverse expat community and people who actually live here long term so it’s easy to make friends and actually make longtime lasting relationships and for me this is a bonus it’s not like other cities where there’s only isolated expat bubbles where you’re only going to see foreigners hanging around with each other in Bangkok it’s quite like meshed together you’ll see foreigners hanging out with locals you’ll go to the same bars go to the same hotels so for me wherever I go to in Thailand it still feels like Thailand which is very important now the last benefit is going to be the lifestyle no matter who you are whether you like to go partying every single night go wild every single night or the type of person that likes to chill likes to work out likes to go to Parks likes to be very active or the type of person that really wants to integrate into the local community into the culture whatever type of person you are you can find that lifestyle here Bangkok is also a major food Hub with International and local Cuisine The Nightlife here is also insane and there’s something going on at any time of the day all in all it’s quite hard to be bored here in my opinion now let’s discuss the downsides now Bangkok can be very chaotic the traffic can be insane and the Visas can also be quite tricky it’s pretty easy and affordable to stay here for short term but if you’re looking to stay here for a longer term you’re either going to have to get an education Visa or a DTV which can be quite confusing if you need some help with visas check out some of the other videos I made on my channel and there is going to be a bit of a language barrier here while many of the younger locals do know English you’re going to find that a lot of the older population such as the working class such as the taxi drivers the restaurant staff they might not know any English at all and perhaps the worst downside is that there is air pollution almost all year round now the pollution only gets really bad during February to april-ish but there’s virtually never going to be crisp fresh air and it’s pretty much going to be hot all year round too but for me all the 100 benefits of living in Thailand kind of outweigh the few disadvantages of living here number two on this list is going to be baly Indonesia which is actually where I’m at right now Bal is famous for its laid-back Island lifestyle stunning beaches he and wellness retreats and being the OG digital Nomad Flagship destination first off the cost of living is going to be around $1,500 to $3,000 a month for the typical xat lifestock for this amount you can rent a villa in hotspot neighborhoods like changu samak or ubu rent a motorbike for the month eat out every single day enjoy health and wellness memberships and go out on weekends and of course you can save a lot more by living with roommates or by living in The Not So touristy areas for me personally I think Bal is going to be one of the best locations for those who want to be surrounded by nature and live a very off-grid balanced wholesome lifestyle you can wake up from your V Ride Your motorbike to the nearest beach then visit one of the many cafes or co-working spots and get your work done and enjoy some incredible food that’s very cheap and also very healthy then afterwards go play paddle with some other Nomads and maybe end the night up at one of the very many beach clubs they have here and unsurprisingly Bal also has one of the largest expat communities making it quite easy to make friends and if you’re very healthc conscious you’ll probably get in the best shape of your life here in Bali I’ve literally seen like no obese people here and lifestyle here is very very active it’s like you’re always kind of in the sun you’re always walking somewhere you’re always kind of being surrounded by this culture of Fitness of good food of this kind of natural life so that might be one of the best effects of living here the night life in my opinion is not as good as Bangkok but it’s probably number two on this list but there’s definitely many many options you’ve got amazing Beach Clubs live music rooftop bars and for visas it’s quite easy to stay here for up to 6 months and if you want to stay here longer there are other long-term options as well now the downsides and criticisms of Bali which are going to be deserved are that it’s very very gentrified and the expats here rarely integrate with the actual locals while Indonesia has a rich cultural heritage most expats are just going to stick to their bubbles they’re never going to learn the language and they rarely ever try to make an effort to integrate with the locals and on top of this the infrastructure and the housing hasn’t developed to the pace of Tourism which raises the cost of living and also worsens the already terrible traffic that they have here having said all of this if you want to be surrounded by nature and live a very relaxed and healthy lifestyle amongst people of similar backgrounds to you then balet is going to be a fantastic choice now by the way when traveling abroad you should definitely use a VPN alwayss it protects your connection secures your sensitive information and allows you to access content from anywhere around the world without restrictions that’s why I recommend nordvpn which is what I’ve been using for the past few years while traveling abroad as a nomad or expad you’re constantly connecting to public Wi-Fi and cafes airports and hotels which can be risky due to something called a man-in-the-middle attack this happens when a a hacker sets up a public Wi-Fi network that looks legitimate but when you connect to it it basically steals all of your private data your sensitive information like your email your passwords your credit card data and other sens of information with nordvpn your data is fully encrypted no matter what connection you’re on so you’re always safe and protected plus it lets you access region locked content which is perfect if you need to log in services from back home or want to watch your favorite shows while traveling for the price of just one cup of coffee a month you can protect yourself with nordvpn today and right now you can get four extra months for free if you sign up for a 2-year plan using my special link down below and the best part is that there’s a 30 dig risk-free money back guarantee so you have essentially nothing to lose so make sure to check it out Link in the description next up number three on this list is going to be hoimin City Vietnam now this is the perfect place if you love big city energy a low cost of living amazing food and night life and a really good cultural immersion and you can live very comfortably for around $1,200 to $2,000 a month this could include a modern one-bedroom apartment in the city center for around 400 to $800 a month street food starting at $1 to $3 and restaurant meals for just a bit more and reliable grab motorbikes for $1 to $3 a ride and just like Bangkok the city is also very fast-paced and high energy huliman surprisingly also has a thriving exped Hub community and a lot of the people that live there are actually there longterm so it’s easier to make friends unlike other cities in Vietnam like Danang or nchang where people are typically tourists and coming and going some of your Visa options are going to include the E Visa which lasts 90 days and is renewable and other long-term visas like the business Visa or education Visa now the downsides are that it’s going to be quite chaotic with lots of traffic and crossing the road can often feel like a real life game of Frogger and although many parts of the city are modernized the infrastructure is definitely not going to be as developed and there is no official subway station yet but as of right now this is under construction the pollution can also be quite bad sometimes and there is going to be a bit of a language barrier similar to Thailand but in most touristy kind of neighborhoods you’ll probably be fine so overall if you want a city that’s very high energy fast-paced that’s very similar to Bangkok but a little bit cheaper than hoimin city is a great choice now just an hour flight away is number four Danang Vietnam now Danang is like the Hidden Gem between the chaos of hoimin city and the tourist overload of Bali it’s a coastal city with a very relaxed Vibe and beautiful beaches and the most affordable City on this list you can live very comfortably here starting at just $800 a month to $1,500 a month with a modern one-bedroom near the beach starting at300 to $600 a month and the food is some of the best I’ve ever had there I’m talking about the fa the bonies literally was better tasting than H City in my opinion the street food there starts at just1 to $3 and you can rent your own motorbike for the entire month for just around $50 to $80 a month even though dang is very affordable it’s still going to be very modern clean and not chaotic at all you’re going to have wide roads with less traffic the air quality is going to be crisp it’s not gentrified like Bali or CI like pataya and you can still access modern conveniences like malls shopping hospitals clinics and international restaurants and more if you want to live a very simple relaxed lifestyle near the beautiful beaches and visit neighboring attractions like banaana hills and hoan now some of the downsides are that there is limited nightlife and the city does tend to shut down quite early so there is kind of a limited amount of things to do and the xut scene is not going to be that big so it might be a little bit harder to make friends and make connections and also the weather can be quite Extreme as the summers are extremely hot and there is a prolonged rainy season as well but overall it is a great choice if you want to live in a cheap affordable coastal city that’s beautiful modern clean and has a very relaxed lifestyle now number five last on her list is koala Lomar Malaysia KL is one of the most developed cities on this list while also being one of the most underrated if you’re looking for a modern city with low cost of living first class infrastructure a huge Multicultural Community then kale is definitely a good option for you an affordable comfortable lifestyle will go for around $1,500 to $2,000 a month rent for a modern one-bedroom in the city center with a pool and gym can go for around $500 to $1,000 a month and can also go lower than this if you live outside the city center local meals will cost between $2 to $5 and transportation like grab is even more affordable than Bangkok with taxi car rides for as cheap as1 to $2 and a Subway trip for 50 to $150 so you’ll be getting Western like first class infrastructure with Southeast Asian prices and one of the best parts is that koal lar is very very English friendly so it’s very easy to kind of make friends meet people and there is also a huge expat Community there as well the food is also amazing and the views and and the architecture is absolutely incredible especially at night another bonus is that koort is actually very very business friendly and also tax friendly as well visas are also quite easy here with a tourist visa lasting 90 days and other long-term visas between 5 to 10 years and an official digital Nomad Visa that is up to one year and is also renewable now some of the downsides are that it’s going to be hot and humid pretty much all year round and in my humble opinion it can be quite boring especially compared to Bangkok after 2 to 3 days there I was actually kind of running out of things to do I was kind of bored to be honest but if you want to live in an affordable place with amazing infrastructure and amazing English fluency then kale is definitely a good choice for you now if you’ve made it to the end of this video here are the honorable mentions changai Thailand this is the perfect place for Budget Travelers who want to live in a chill slow paced City with amazing culture food and a thriving exped and local community you can live very comfortably for around 8800 to $1,500 a month however some of the downsides are going to be that changmai suffers some of the worst air pollution in the world at certain parts of the year and it might not be as exciting as Bangkok as changai is very chill and slow paced lastly is Manila Philippines you’ll meet some of the most friendliest people here and they also speak very very good English so it’s easy to immerse yourself into the local culture and make local friends you can live very comfortably here for less than $1,500 a month and the Visas are also quite approachable and easy the Visas are extendable up to 3 years with other long-term visas as well there’s a very vibrant nightlife and Social Scene here and the food is absolutely amazing now the downside is that the infrastructure is going to be the least developed on this list if you go outside of the main Center areas like BGC so that’s it for this list let me know which city you think is the best and if you want to become a digital Nomad or potentially relocate and are interested in making remote income then make sure to access my free training down in the description below hope you guys like this video make sure to follow me on Instagram and I’ll see you guys in the next video

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